While vacationers are happy heading home today, ending their two week mid-year school vacation period, others are gloom, hotel operators who are concerned about the decline of tourists.
According to a survey by the Cámara de Hoteles (Hotels Chamber) there has been a reduction in tourists in the first five months of the year, over the same period in 2012.
The areas with the best occupancy rate this year was Punterenas and Central Pacific with 48%, while in the Caribbean coast the occupancy average did not surpass 33%.
While the numbers of the July vacation are still not official, hotel operators can tell you that they are not good.
Experts are blaming domestic consumer confidence for the drop.
It’s not surprising, specially in the Caribbean side after the murder of an environmentalist, and hotel guests being robed! There should be a national outcry if only to salvage the much needed revenue that tourism brings to the country. Every Tico should be made aware that if it ain’t safe for tourists, they will not come.